Rule 6A-1.09422 Development Workshop Transcript
May 20, 2026

Title Slide
Good afternoon. Welcome to today's Rule Development Workshop for Rule 6A-1.09422 of the Florida Administrative Code.

My name is Susie Lee, Executive Director of the Office of Assessment within the Florida Department of Education. Also presenting during our workshop today is Chancellor Kathy Hebda with the Florida College System.  

The purpose of this workshop is to present a proposed amendment to Rule 6A-1.09422, which pertains to student assessment requirements. We will address three areas: concordant scores aligned to the Grade 10 FAST ELA Assessment, B.E.S.T. Writing on grade level cut scores, and the FACT U.S. History assessment.

We appreciate your attendance and your interest in the rule amendment process. If you have questions or comments during this presentation, you may add them to the chat and we will read them aloud and respond at the end of the presentation. You may also submit public comments on the department’s website. 

Slide 2 – Title Slide on Concordant Scores
Our first topic today concerns concordant scores.

As many of you are aware, concordant scores allow students to satisfy their English Language Arts graduation assessment requirement through performance on an approved alternate assessment. I will now walk through the current rule language, the feedback we have received from stakeholders, and the Department's recommended amendment.

Slide 3 – Concordant Scores
In July 2025, Rule 6A-1.09422 was amended to include concordant scores aligned to the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking, or FAST, Grade 10 English Language Arts Assessment. These concordant scores were established on the ACT, the Classic Learning Test or CLT, the CLT10, the PreACT Secure, the PSAT 10, the PSAT/NMSQT, and the SAT.

While the ACT, SAT, and CLT—which are traditionally administered in the eleventh grade—had previously been available for concordant score purposes, this was the first time concordant scores were adopted for the CLT10, PreACT Secure, PSAT 10, and PSAT/NMSQT. These assessments are predominantly administered in the tenth grade. It is also important to note that the PSAT/NMSQT is administered in the fall, whereas the other assessments are administered in the spring.

Notably, the amendment language as adopted did not specify whether a student must earn the concordant score after the administration of the Grade 10 ELA statewide standardized assessment.

Slide 4 – Concordant Scores (cont.)
Following the adoption of these concordant scores, the Department received feedback from stakeholders regarding the new concordant score options. The feedback centered specifically on the fall administration of the PSAT/NMSQT to grade 10 students.

Stakeholders expressed concern that if students are able to meet their assessment graduation requirement by achieving a concordant score before the administration of the Grade 10 FAST ELA Assessment, those students may be less motivated when taking the Grade 10 FAST ELA Assessment. 

Slide 5 – Concordant Scores (cont.)
After carefully considering stakeholder feedback, the Department is now recommending that the State Board of Education add the following language to Rule 6A-1.09422, paragraph (8)(a).
Beginning in the 2026–2027 school year, first-time grade ten students may only use concordant scores earned after the spring administration—that is, Performance Monitoring 3, or PM3—of the grade ten statewide standardized ELA assessment of their grade ten school year.

This amendment would ensure that first-time tenth-grade students cannot satisfy their graduation requirement prior to the Grade 10 FAST PM 3 ELA Assessment administration.

Slide 6 – Title Slide on B.E.S.T. Writing Scale Scores
We will now turn to our second topic, which concerns the B.E.S.T. Writing scale scores and on grade level cut scores.

Slide 7 – B.E.S.T. Writing On Grade Level Cut Scores
When the Department conducted standard setting activities for assessments aligned to the B.E.S.T. Standards, the committees of educators convened for this purpose encountered difficulty in determining a cut score for the B.E.S.T. Writing assessments. This difficulty arose because the B.E.S.T. Writing assessment is a one-item test: students read multiple passages and then compose a single essay response.

Despite this challenge, each educator panel provided recommendations for one on grade level cut score per assessment. Those recommendations were subsequently presented to the State Board of Education and adopted into Rule 6A-1.09422 in October 2023.

It is worth noting that students participating in the B.E.S.T. Writing assessments also receive a score based on a 12-point rubric. The rubric encompasses three domains: Purpose and Structure, Development, and Language. Each domain is worth a maximum of four points. When results are reported, students receive a raw score on the overall 12-point scale as well as individual scores for each domain.

Slide 8 – B.E.S.T. Writing On Grade Level Cut Scores (cont.)
Following the first administration of the B.E.S.T. Writing assessments, the Department's analysis of the data confirmed the concerns that had been expressed by the educator panels. Specifically, the Department found that providing a scale score based on a single-item test did not constitute a reliable reporting strategy.

Instead, the Department determined that it was more informative to report only the 12-point rubric score, particularly given the availability of the individual domain score breakdowns.
For this reason, the Department recommends to the State Board of Education that the cut scores for the B.E.S.T. Writing assessments be removed from Rule 6A-1.09422. It is important to note that these cut scores are not and never have been used in reporting.

The Department will continue its current practice of providing raw rubric scores for the B.E.S.T. Writing assessments, which offer a more meaningful and actionable measure of student writing performance.

Slide 9 – Title Slide on FACT U.S. History Pilot, 2026–2027 Academic Year
Our third and final topic today is the Florida Advanced Courses and Tests program, known as FACT, and specifically the U.S. History pilot planned for the 2026–2027 academic year.

Thank you, Susie. This is Kathy Hebda; I’m with the Florida College System, and I'm happy to talk to you today about this pilot program. 

Slide 10 – Florida Advanced Courses and Tests (FACT)
So you'll notice that in House Bill 1537, two years ago, or three years ago now, it was amended that we could provide students with Florida Advanced Courses and Tests. So far, we've worked on two projects: two courses with associated assessments, College Algebra and now U.S. History. The College Algebra pilot actually has concluded now this school year, and students in that pilot are taking the College Algebra assessment. And so we'll be working on those results in Standard Setting very soon. The U.S. History pilot is actually going on this coming school year. 
Slide 11 – FACT: U.S. History Pilot
So, districts had an opportunity to sign up for the pilot. School districts, charter schools had an opportunity to sign up through this past Monday. And so now everybody who has applied to be in the pilot is being considered. And once those applications are reviewed, then all of the people who are accepted for the pilot will be notified by the first week of June. And then we will be providing professional learning this summer during the month of June, specifically for those teachers who are going to be involved in the pilot. And so if you have, in your district, signed up for the pilot, and if you are accepted, then the teachers that you have signed up to be in that pilot will then be receiving some professional learning and information about that in that first week of June.

Slide 12 – FACT: U.S. History Pilot
Regarding the students in the pilot, the students with the sufficiently high score, just like any other standardized assessment, will also satisfy their postsecondary civic literacy requirement, and they will be eligible for credit in both U.S. American History 1 and American History 2. For those students who don't achieve that score on the assessment, they will still be able to receive credit for American History, basically 1000. We represented AMH X000 because colleges can choose to make that a 1000 or 2000 level course. That does not satisfy the general education course requirement but does give them college credit in an American history course.

Specifically regarding this rule, Section 1008.22 specifies that the Commissioner may designate assessments to satisfy statutory EOC assessment requirements when there is a corresponding statewide EOC associated with a specific course. In this case, we will have by the end of the pilot, we will have a FACT U.S. History course that would stand to be in designation for in lieu of the U.S. History EOC. 

To do this, we have to provide this information through State Board of Education rule, which is why this language is proposed to be entered into this assessment rule. If the State Board adopts the rule, then that will make the Commissioner's designation of the FACT U.S. History Assessment to be used in lieu of the U.S. History EOC, so students will not have to take both assessments to meet that graduation requirement.

Slide 13 – FACT: U.S. History and College Credit
The assessment is in development during this year. It's underway now. And that information about the assessment will be coming out this fall so that teachers that are in schools that are involved in the pilot will have that information that they can use to consider while they're teaching the course. And, as any other assessment, it will be offered during the normal assessment window for March to May.

Slide 14 – Thank You!
Thank you, Chancellor Hebda.

This concludes our presentation on the proposed amendment to Rule 6A-1.09422.

To submit a comment on this rule development, please visit the Department's rule comment portal at web02.fldoe.org/rules. Your input is valuable to us and will be carefully considered as we move forward with the rulemaking process. 

We appreciate your interest in this process, and we will now read your questions, if there are any, from the questions panel.

Questions and Answers (responses edited for clarity)

(Question) If a student takes the grade 10 ELA as a 9th grader, do they need to wait until they retake the grade 10 ELA as a 10th grader before they can take and earn a concordant using PSAT?
(Answer) Yes. The rule applies to any first-time 10th grader, regardless of whether they participated in Grade 10 ELA previously.

(Question) What is the school grades impact of the U.S. History FACT?
(Answer) The school grades rule is being developed to include the FACT in the College and Career Acceleration component. This rule development, which is Rule 6A-1.09981, F.A.C., will be going to the same State Board meeting. Information is available at https://web02.fldoe.org/Rules/.
(Question) Does the FACT U.S. History Assessment also satisfy the FCLE?
(Answer) Yes. It will satisfy both the course requirement and the test requirement for postsecondary civic literacy.

(Question) What about students who do not take the grade 10 ELA PM3? Will they be able to use a concordant score, or are they required to first sit for the ELA Retake?
(Answer) The proposed amendment language specifically refers to the timing of the grade 10 PM3 administration. It does not say that a student who did not sit for the grade 10 ELA PM3 assessment would be required to sit after that time before applying a concordance score.

(Question) If a current 8th or 9th grader has already met the grade 10 ELA requirement, will they be grandfathered in when this rule goes into effect?
(Answer) As the language is written currently, no, this would apply to any first-time 10th graders in the 2026–27 school year. However, we are aware of that question and concern. If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to submit concerns in the public comments.

(Question) We received conflicting information regarding this from accountability. If a student takes the grade 10 ELA as a 9th grader, do they need to wait until they retake the grade 10 ELA as a 10th grader before they can take and earn a concordant score using PSAT? We were told grade 9 takes grade 9 and grade 10 takes grade 10. Can you clarify?
(Answer) The rule applies to any first-time 10th grader, regardless of whether they participated in Grade 10 ELA previously.

(Question) With Writing set to the 12-point rubric, will the inclusion of Writing in school grades based on the 12-points be coming forward?
(Answer) That's a good question. We get it frequently. There is no plan for that. And there was no discussion this past legislative session for that. If Writing was ever to be included in school grades, that would require a statutory change. So that's where you would watch to see if there was any talk or proposed bills to include it in school grades, but that has not happened yet, so it certainly won't be happening for this upcoming school year.

(Question) Does the concordance score rule only apply to PSAT or does it include any of the available concordant tests?
(Answer) Good question. As it's written, it says any concordance score.

(Question) Was there any consideration to do this concordant change with year entered high school as the cutoff as the other changes to concordance have done in the past, meaning changes go into effect based on the year entered high school rather than newly 10th grade students.
(Answer) The intent was for it to go into effect in this next school year. The way the proposed amendment is written, it's basically the same as if it was the 2025–26 grade 9 cohort. But this was written to clarify that first time 10th graders moving forward have this requirement or are not able to use the score until after the PM3 administration.

(Question) Confirming if a grade 10 student earns a qualifying concordant PSAT/NMSQT score in the fall, it may be banked for later and applied after PM3 if needed.
(Answer) No. The way the proposed amendment is written, the concordant score must be earned after the PM3 administration for grade 10, so a score earned in the fall prior to that administration would not be able to be used.

(Question) Are juniors or seniors who enter the district or state for the first time required to sit for the ELA before using the concordance score?
(Answer) No. Students who transfer in in grade 11 or 12 may meet the requirement in any of the available pathways.

(Question) If a student takes PSAT in the fall of their 10th grade year and misses or does not take the 10th grade ELA, can that concordance score be used since student never took part in the 10th grade ELA administration?
(Answer) The way the proposed amendment is written, no; it's about the timing for that student. It has to be earned after the spring administration of that student's 10th grade year.

Okay, that will conclude our workshop. 

Thank you for your time and participation today. We thank you for joining us.